Freezes, uncertainty driving certifications in health care

The recent decision by 1,250 registered nurses at London Health Sciences’ University Hospital in London, Ont. to join the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) is the latest in a string of certifications among health-care workers in Ontario.

Thousands of employees at more than a dozen hospitals across the province have unionized over the past two years, including nurses at two of the province’s largest hospital networks.

One factor has been the freeze on non-unionized public-sector wages since 2010.